Iranian Beef Stew

I used to work with a woman from Iran who was a marvelous cook. This is one of the many wonderful Iranian recipes she shared with me. I never did perfect her method of cooking rice to form a golden crust on the bottom which, according to her, was always served to the most favored guest. The spice mix makes about 1/2 cup.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds lean beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cups beef broth

1 package (16 ounces) frozen cut green beans

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1-1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg (freshly ground)

pinch of ground cinnamon

to taste, salt

Yield

6 servings

Instructions

Mix the cumin, pepper, coriander, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. It will make about 1/2 cup. You will only need I tablespoon of the spice mixture for this recipe. (That means you can make it 8 times!)

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are tender.